Weapons
Weapons (or Power-Ups) are the combat components central to the ''Wipeout'' series. Initially used to slow down rival craft, these weapons are now capable of damaging opponents (and even eliminating them). The different types of weapons vary in offensive weapons and defensive weapons. Main Weapons This is a list of weapons used in (nearly all) games in the Wipeout series. Some of these weapons were introduced in ''Wipeout'', whereas the others (such as Auto Pilot) were introduced in later games. *'Missile' (Multi-Missile in Wipeout 3) - A homing missile that can be fired instantly for a ricochet effect (in later games starting with Pure, due to the missile's reduced agility), or locked on for a more accurate shot at the competition. Usually, there is a reticle that will appear while this weapon is carried. In Wipeout 2097, it can be fired backwards, once "Rear Lock" is shown, and if the nose of the craft is tilted back. In Wipeout 3, the craft can now fire two missiles at a time and can even lock-on to individual opponents as well, at the cost of firing backwards. The multi-missiles can even circle around the opponent on some occasions. In Fusion, this can be done with the "Look Back" feature. In 2048, Fighter ships lock on faster than other ships. *'Rockets' - Forward-firing unguided projectiles that work effectively at close-range, and are fired simultaneously. Depending on the game, ships can shoot up to three at a time (with the original game firing one rocket and two in Wipeout 3). In Wipeout Fusion, rockets fire one at a time instead, but still launch three rockets. In Wipeout 2048, Speed ships fire one Rocket, Agility ships fire two and Fighter ships fire three. *'Plasma' (Plasma Bolt in Wipeout Fusion) - A dark energy weapon that surges across the track, causing heavy damage to anything it hits. It does not lock-on or bounce off walls. Requires a charge up beforehand, and aiming is tricky. In the games before Fusion, the plasma will instantly eliminate a craft. *'Quake' (Quake Disruptor in Wipeout 2097) - A powerful seismic weapon that blazes its way down the track with a fierce and explosive momentum. There is a flaw with this weapon whilst racing Phantom class in 2097, where the player can keep up with the quake as it is being used thereby blinding the player from the track ahead. This was resolved in Wipeout 3. In Fusion the quake can be fired backwards, and can also travel in split sections. In Pure, it is also said to be measured at 6.5 on the Richter scale, has the same flaw as in 2097, and can even damage opponents whilst shielded (which was fixed again in Pulse and onwards). Starting with HD, you can no longer fire the quake backwards by turning your craft around. In 2048, this weapon is available to Fighter and Agility ships only. *'Mines' - A row of four or five floating mines that can be dropped in a single succession. In Wipeout Fusion, you can drop a single mine at a time instead of deploying all of them in a single sequence. The mines in Fusion also slightly home onto opponents. In 2048, Speed and Agility ships carry this weapon instead of Bombs, and in the Omega Collection (2048), the difference between how many mines are laid is that Agility ships release four mines, while Speed ships release three. *'Bomb' (Thunder Bomb in Wipeout 2097; Gravity Bomb in Wipeout Fusion) -''' A high-grade wide-radius explosive that causes a devastating explosion that can harm nearby opponents. In Wipeout Fusion, it is released forward in an arc, disrupting the anti-gravity generators on all craft within the blast radius, as if they were hit with a GravStinger. In Wipeout 2097, although the Thunder Bomb is deployed from the rear, it actually creates a massive explosion that damages all opponents within the front of the screen. In Pure and onwards, it is deployed from the rear of the ship, and will only attack those behind you who would hit it (Pure's bombs remained active until hit, while those from Pulse and onwards would have a finite lifespan). In 2048, Fighter ships use this weapon instead of Mines. *'''Turbo - Activates a temporary boost that can be used to go through the pack, over a jump (with more barrel roll opportunities), or out of harm's way. Can be used, with the right timing, to evade a Quake. In Wipeout 3, this power-up did not appear and was replaced by a Hyperthrust booster that will consume some shield energy when used, although it cannot be used when shield energy is below 25%. Also, in Pure, it is not a good idea to use a turbo when hitting speed pads as it will cancel the turbo boost in favor of the speed pad. *'Shield' - A protective energy shield that, when activated, makes the ship invulnerable to weapons or collision damage for a brief period. In Wipeout Pure, shields will not protect you from Quakes. *'Auto Pilot' - Activates a professional simulated pilot for a few seconds, which will navigate corners with a level of finesse that is beyond player inputs and can even make the ships slightly faster in the process, whether on the straights or on the corners. In Wipeout 2048, activating an Autopilot will make your craft activate a Shield whilst navigating you through the toughest corners. Other Weapons These weapons appeared only in certain games (and certain game modes): *'Shockwave' (Wipeout; Electro-Bolt in Wipeout 2097 and Wipeout 64; Disruption Bolt in Wipeout Pure) - Shoots a blue beam of electricity that slows the craft. In 2097 and 64, it is capable of producing very light damage as well. It is a lock-on weapon, but it cannot be fired backwards. The Disruption Bolt in Wipeout Pure does not lock-on nor bounce off walls, but getting hit by it will cause nasty effects on your craft, including but not limited to: reversed steering, disabled airbrakes, the craft bouncing up and down, the camera zooming in and out, as well as the risk of triggering Autopilots at slower speeds. *'REVCON' (Wipeout only; Control Jammer in Wipeout Fusion only) - Disrupts the opponent's craft's computer by reversing the controls of the affected craft, making it difficult to control. *'ECM Pod' (Wipeout only) - Disables opponents' weapons systems for a brief period, preventing them from picking up weapons and using them. The effect of this power-up was not explained in the instruction manual, and instead referred to as "What's this?", and hinted to the weapon being "subtle but very useful". *'Leech Beam' (Energy Drain in Wipeout 3) - A pulsating electronic grapple that drains energy from an opponent's ship and transfers it to the user's ship. This is a lock-on weapon, so find an opponent to be locked on. The beam will stop when your ship takes damage, the distance becomes too far that the link is broken, or there is no more energy to take (in Wipeout 3 the effect of the weapon will end if your shield energy is full, and also won't work if your shields are still full). In Wipeout 2048, activating a Leech Beam gives you a shield as well. The damage produced by the beam is variable, and the energy regeneration rate is more effective once your ship is closer to your opponent. *'E-Pack' (Wipeout 2097 and Wipeout 64) - Replenishes one-fourth of your energy. It is only available when your craft has less than 20% shield energy remaining. *'Cloak' (Wipeout 3; Stealth in Wipeout Fusion only) - Makes your craft invisible for a brief period, making your craft invincible to most damage and impervious to any lock-on. However unlike the Stealth in 64, your craft cannot move through the others while cloaked. *'Force Wall' (Wipeout 3) - Activates an energy wall from several meters ahead of you that pushes back any craft passing through it with a strong force. It is more of a disruptive weapon that can aid in overtaking, or increasing the gap from your opponents. *'Reflector' (Wipeout 3) - Reflects weapons away from your craft. While using the Reflector, any weapon that hits your craft will bounce off walls and lock-on weapons will return to the ship that fired it, but is useless against the quake and mines. *'Cannon' (Proton Cannon in Wipeout Fusion) - A 30-round load of proton shells with rapid-fire capability. They can be fired selectively, with any number of shells fired a time on will. In Wipeout Fusion, the Proton Cannon has 25 rounds rather than 30 and is a single-barreled weapon, while in the later titles, it is a double-barreled weapon. *'GravStinger' (Wipeout Fusion) - Drops a gravity anchor that disables the anti-gravity generator underneath the craft when collided. This causes damage to the affected craft as it grinds on the track itself, and will force the victim's craft to grind to a halt. It is similar to the Gravity Bomb but works only on a single target. *'Grenades' (Wipeout Fusion) - Three bouncy projectiles that explode upon impact with the wall or a craft. It is similar to the current design of Rockets, yet the grenades bounce up and down and are more powerful. Due to the tendency of the grenades to bounce over, accuracy is only effective on close-range. *'Flamer' (Wipeout Fusion) - A flamethrower that causes continuous damage to a craft for a brief period or until it enters the pit lane. Just like the Proton Cannon, it is an ammunition-based weapon with only 99% of gas for the flamethrower (lasting for around two seconds of constant fire-stream). *'Hunter Missile' (Wipeout Fusion only) - A fierce homing missile that targets the race leader. Firing it will go directly to the leader without locking-on and causes the same damage as a regular missile. *'Global Drain' (Wipeout Fusion only) - Causes total shield loss to all craft standing on the track. Opponents (and your craft) are left with 0 shield points, meaning one hit will result in elimination, unless they can reach the pit lane. Only use this as a last resort. *'Turbo Enforcer' (Wipeout Fusion only) - Works like a standard turbo, but instead on an opponent's craft. Best used in tight sections of track to cause damage and slow down an opponent. The Turbo Enforcer is fired like a missile, and you have to gain a lock first. When the projectile hits the enemy craft, they will gain a speed boost, so take care not to purposely use this as an advantage for your opponent. *'Shuriken' (Wipeout Pulse only) - A razor-sharp projectile that bounces off walls and ships for a small period of time, with a highly unpredictable and somewhat erratic trajectory. *'Repulsor' (Wipeout Pulse only) - An energy wave, whose range is rivaled by the Quake, that causes nearby enemy ships to be pushed away off course and sustain damage. Good for racking up eliminations. However, due to the framerate of the PSP, the Repulsor may not even guarantee hits on rare occasions. Super Weapons Super Weapons were first introduced in Wipeout 64 and reappeared in Wipeout Fusion. These are a range of team-specific super weapons that cause much more damage than the main weapons. In Wipeout Fusion, a Super Weapon Licence is needed to used these weapons. (NOTE: Some of the super weapons in Wipeout 64 were reused in later games, although with reduced effects.) ''Wipeout 64'' Mini-Gun (FEISAR) - Simply press B to start this super weapon, and it will continuously fire high-speed bullets for 10 seconds. Most of the time it will take about only one second of continuous fire from this weapon to eliminate an opponent. Use of the Cyclone in the game will make one round eliminate one opponent. This weapon evolved into the Cannon, although single-barreled like the Proton Cannon in Fusion. There is also a similar weapon in 2097 that can be used through a cheat code (with a similar weapon icon), with unlimited ammo (for as long as the fire button is pressed), but will actually slow the craft down upon firing. Shield Raider (AG Systems) - Easily the most powerful weapon in the game. It is fired like a missile, and you have to gain a lock on the nearest craft to fire it (it has no rear-lock, however). If an opponent craft is hit by this green missile (characterized by a distinctly loud explosion), its shields will be completely drained, with only 1% of energy remaining. This means just a small hit, even from a solid ram on the victim, can cause an elimination. Though it is a dangerous weapon of mass destruction, it also restores a small amount of shield energy to your craft. As a specifically shield-draining weapon, it evolved into the Energy Drain, then the Shield Drain, and finally the Leech Beam; however, in Wipeout Fusion, there was also another weapon bearing another similarity to Shield Raider, in the aspect of making the target fragile to following attacks: the Nitro Rocket. Energy Sphere (Auricom) - Although not the most powerful in the game, it can be fun to use. This is a charging weapon, so hold down B to charge up the sphere to get maximum charge (identified by a sound and yellow vapor trails). As the sphere charges, it becomes more powerful. A direct hit would often cause an elimination, although this is difficult as the weapon has no lock-on feature. However, the sphere can pass through opponents, allowing for multiple hits. This weapon is similar to the current design of the Plasma as it deals heavy damage rather than instant-elimination. Power Snare (Qirex) - In contrast to the other super weapons in the game, this super weapon could be considered the weakest weapon in the game. When activated, the craft deploys a yellow wall several meters in front of you. Any craft that travels through this wall will lose a reasonable amount of shield energy. This weapon was reused in Wipeout 3 as the Force Wall, although said weapon is more of a disruption weapon that does not produce damage. Stealth (Piranha) - This super weapon is much more defensive than offensive, but still very useful. When activated, the craft becomes partially invisible and also immune to physical damage and weapons systems. Opponents can also be damaged by flying through them. This weapon was reused in Wipeout 3 as the Cloak, although its effects are reduced, and given its ability to damage opponents by flying through them, it is also similar to the Penetrator in one way. ''Wipeout Fusion'' Super Missile (FEISAR) - FEISAR's new Super Missiles have been customised from the standard missile system by their in-house weapon development team in rural area of Sicily. The missiles are vastly stronger than standard missiles since this is a super weapon. Three targeted missiles are released at once, locking onto the three nearest opponent craft. If there is only one opponent ahead, all three missiles will lock onto it, and the chances are it will be destroyed. Super Missiles are simple, yet effective weapon, as their combination of speed, accuracy and firepower (with noticeably more violent explosions than the standard Missile) make them a versatile tool in combat. This super weapon is very similar to the Multi-Missile in Wipeout 3. (NOTE: A development of this weapon might have been the cause of the 2164 Temtesh Bay Disaster) Seismic Field (Van-Über) - The Van-Über weapon research facility in Dresden has excelled itself with the new seismic field that was unveiled at the Zero-G trade fair earlier this year. When fired, a highly destructive sphere is hurled forward down the track. Direct hits will cause severe damage and hurl around affected contenders with a great force, and fans will be pleased to know that an elimination is highly likely. When the sphere is active, it will make the sky black. The Seismic Field does not lock-on or bounce off walls, so aiming is difficult - use this super weapon on straight areas as this is meant to be treated like a more chaotic version of Plasma Bolt. Bio-Snare (G-Tech) - Harnessing aggressive bio-technology originally developed for sewage treatment, G-Tech's Bio-Snare super weapon fires a biological projectile forward down the track. On landing, it grows into an obstructive entity that will consume opponents' craft that fly into it and disrupt the controls of that craft. Craft that hit the Bio-Snare can get rid of it by entering the pit lane and recharging their shields, or persisting until the "infection" fades away. Orbital Laser (Auricom) - Auricom had to launch a huge laser satellite system in order to complete the development of this vicious weapon. At the very least, it demonstrates their determination to do well this season. Pilots lock onto an opponent craft using a laser sight, then when activated, the craft's coordinates are transmitted to the satellite. Nearly instantly, a piercing energy beam is fired from the spaceborne system. However, this weapon has no effect in subterranean zones as satellite communication is disabled underground. Also, for such an impressive-looking weapon, it only does minor damage (comparable to the standard Missile) - its effectiveness stems mostly from the ability to instantly stop a contender in place and dazzle them, leaving them an easy target for a few seconds. Power Swarm (EG-R) - EG-R's new Power Swarm weapon has thrilled race enthusiasts across the world. Spurning brute force in favour of tiny, swarming drone weapons, pilots lock onto opponent craft either in front or behind. The drones are fired from an isolation unit beneath the craft from which they swarm around the opponent, firing small rapid-fire energy bolts until all their ammo is used up. They are capable of inflicting moderate damage upon the craft over time. The drones can go away when you use a shield, or if you use the pit-lane to your advantage while regenerating shield energy. Nitro Rocket (Tigron) - True to form, Tigron's new super weapon promises devastating results. After locking onto an opponent craft ahead, a liquid nitrogen projectile flash-freezes and crystalizes the craft for several seconds. This causes the craft to suffer tenfold damage. Impact with a wall, weapon or another craft during this period will almost certainly destroy it. The crystallized state can, however, be reversed by environmental heat (for approximately six seconds) or by passing through the pit lane. Next to the Shield Drain, the Nitro Rocket is one of the most effective super weapons in the game, most likely securing an elimination of the opponent. Shield Drain (Xios) - A favourite of Natasha Belmondo, the Shield Drain figuratively drains the life from the opponents. Once the pilot locks onto an opponent craft, a siphoning link is formed between both craft and shield energy is sucked from it until there is nothing left to take, or until the distance between the two becomes too far, breaking the link (the link ignores solid obstacles, however). It is very similar to the Leech Beam. It is worthy to note that Shield Drain always works (unless the opponent activates the Shield) with the same effectiveness - no matter how much shield energy the victim possesses, your craft will always have its shields fully restored (and the target ship will suffer the same amount of damage, even if the attacker is fully replenished during the drain process). Perhaps the most useful super weapon in the game, the Shield Drain essentially ensures that Xios ships are practically as durable as the Tigron ones. Penetrator (Piranha) - Another incredible innovation from Aries Piermont's team, the Penetrator turns the firing craft into an actual missile, as the nose is charged up with explosive energy. Once the pilot locks onto an opponent craft, his/her own craft arms its nose area and it literally fires itself at the opponent. Major damage is caused, following a blinding explosion. If no lock-on is acquired, the craft will fire itself in the direction of aim. Upon firing, while homing into the nearest craft, the craft will activate a fast autopilot. Since with Penetrator your craft serves as a kinetic kill vehicle, this super weapon will also cause damage to your own craft (but not as much as the target), as you will eventually ram the target. This super weapon can be activated without lock-on to take advantage of its speed boost, making it an improvised super Turbo - however, the ship will be unsteerable in this case, so brace for impact! Gallery File:Wipeout-icons_horiz_final-01.jpg|Diagram of Weapon evolution throughout the series Video Category:Content